2.4 Assessment Details
2.4.1 Critical Reflection Essay
Weight: 30%
Type of Collaboration: Individual
Due: Week 4 - Monday 20th August, 2018 before 12 Midnight
Submission: Refer to Section 2.5 of the Learning Guide - General Submission Requirement
Format:
Length: 1000 words
Curriculum Mode:
Word count/duration:
There is a word limit of 1000 words. Use your computer to total the number of words used in your assignment. However, do not include the reference list at the end of your assignment in the word count. In-text citations will be included in the additional 10% word count. If you exceed the word limit by more than 10% the marker will stop marking at 1000 words plus 10%.
Aim of assessment
Standard 1 of the NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice outlines the requirement for nurses to use best available evidence for safe, quality practice and to develop that practice through reflection on experiences, knowledge, actions, feelings and beliefs. The aim of this essay is for students to critically reflect on a nursing related event reported in the media and, using the NSQHS standards developed by ACQSHC (Australian Commission for Quality and Safety in Healthcare), identify what nurses might do to improve their practice and reduce the risk of a similar error.
Details
Students must refer to the article titled 'Coroner recommends changes after blood mix-up patient death' and NSQHS Standard 2 - Partnering with Consumers for this assessment item. They are located under the Assessments tab on the unit vUWS site in the Assessment 1 folder.
Using the GIBBS Reflective Cycle (Gibbs, 1988), reflect on this nursing-related event.
Students will write an appropriately structured essay that includes the following:
1. A comprehensive description of the critical incident.
2. An explanation of how the event made you feel and why it made you feel this way.
3. Evaluate the consequences of this critical incident for the health consumer (patient and their family).
4. Analyse the implications of this critical incident for your future nursing practice.
5. Identify and discuss new knowledge gained from this incident.
6. Develop an action plan to enhance your own learning from this incident.
The essay may be written impersonally in third person, but students may choose to write the reflection in the first person.
Students should note that they cannot reference a personal reflective statement about how they felt, any actions they took or decisions they made. However, if they refer to the concepts and theories of
other authors to inform their reflection processes (g, the Gibbs Cycle), that discussion must be referenced in accordance with APA 6th ed. referencing style.
Resources:
i. Examples may be available on the vUWS site.
ii. There are a number of textbooks and resources available through the Western Sydney University Library that may assist you. Please refer to the unit's vUWS site for specific unit resources